Michael Palin In The Philippines | Preview (5)
Michael Palin’s latest adventure is an epic 2,500-mile journey across the islands of the Philippines. Known as an idyllic tropical travel hotspot, Michael also delves deeper to reveal a surprising, darker side.
The legacy of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’ spending, not just the shoes of legend but billions spent on monumental architecture, still haunts the country forty years on. Their son, Bongbong Marcos, is now President, and forty percent of the urban population lives in poverty, thirty thousand people have been lawlessly killed by vigilante anti-drug 'death squads', and a third of the country is on the UK Foreign Office 'do not travel list'.
But despite all of this, Michael also experiences the Philippines as, ironically, one of the happiest and certainly the most beautiful countries he has ever visited. Michael starts his journey in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, at a political protest march marking the 40th anniversary of the day when President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda were kicked out of power after 21 years of dictatorial rule and financial excess.
Singer and activist Leah Navarro reveals how the Marcos family has tried to reinvent themselves in recent years. Nearly 40% of the country’s urban population lives in poverty and Michael heads to Tondo, a tough slum-like neighbourhood in the city. He is shocked when he notices a food vendor selling ‘Pag-pag’; half-eaten fried chicken taken from the bins of fast food restaurants and re-cooked for sale to locals.
Then, he meets Emily Soriano, who reveals the tragic story of how her 15-year-old son, Angelito, was shot dead by previous President Rodrigo Duterte’s notorious ‘death squads’.
After tortuous negotiations Michael is suddenly invited to the Presidential Palace to meet the latest President Marcos, who, it turns out, is a lifelong Monty Python fan. He also reveals the inside story of growing up in the palace under his parents' excessive regime.
Michael then embarks on his journey across the archipelago to see the beauty of the islands, flying to the remote island of Palawan and the idyllic beaches of El Nido. He meets Eddie Agamos, who takes Michael on a traditional Bangka boat amid the exquisite scenery, before they spend the night at a rustic, deserted beach camp.
The next day, Michael gets permission to board a military flight to the island of Pagasa in the South China Sea to meet some of its 400 residents - but China is aggressively claiming the whole region. As soon as he lands on the unique airstrip bisecting the island, Michael sees an intimidating flotilla of Chinese ships on the horizon. The next day, he heads out on a covert coastguard patrol and soon has a dramatic encounter with a Chinese vessel determined to turn them back.
Michael Palin In The Philippines begins Monday 28th September at 9pm on 5.
